JAKARTA - Indonesia is one of the countries that will attend the preliminary talks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade pact across the Pacific. This step is the initial stage before the start of official negotiations towards membership.
Kyodo News, quoted on Friday, June 26, reported that the decision was agreed upon in an online meeting of ministers from 12 CPTPP member countries on Friday. In addition to Indonesia, preliminary talks will also be held for the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the joint statement of the ministers, the preliminary talks aim to prepare the basis for accession negotiations, which is the official process for countries that want to become members of the CPTPP.
To join, each applicant country must meet a number of requirements. Among them, remove tariffs or import duties on various types of goods and comply with intellectual property protection rules, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
In addition, all CPTPP members must first agree before the applicant country can enter the accession negotiation phase.
For the first time, the CPTPP has established a preliminary discussion mechanism as a stage before the start of official negotiations. Through this mechanism, the applicant's domestic system and trade rules will be reviewed based on the standards applicable in the agreement.
Cambodia applied to become a member of the CPTPP in November 2025. Meanwhile, Argentina applied earlier this month.
The joint statement also mentioned that the role of the CPTPP as a framework supporting free trade is increasing amid global protectionist trends, including the United States' high tariff policy and economic pressure from China.
In addition to discussing membership expansion, CPTPP member countries issued a statement confirming the importance of cooperation in the energy sector in response to the crisis in the Middle East.
The CPTPP came into force in 2018 after the United States withdrew during the first term of President Donald Trump.
Currently, the CPTPP consists of Australia, the United Kingdom, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
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